Control of transient biaxial order in calamitic nematics

The biaxial order reconstruction in nematics (BORN) is a dynamical effect which can change the topology of nematic textures. The BORN can be induced in a nematic material submitted to strong external constraints, as in the case of bulk textural distortions due to an electric field in a π cell. In th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied physics letters 2007-12, Vol.91 (24), p.244104-244104-3
Main Authors: Ciuchi, F., Ayeb, H., Lombardo, G., Barberi, R., Durand, Georges E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed Matter
Physics
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Summary:The biaxial order reconstruction in nematics (BORN) is a dynamical effect which can change the topology of nematic textures. The BORN can be induced in a nematic material submitted to strong external constraints, as in the case of bulk textural distortions due to an electric field in a π cell. In this work, we show how suitable dopants for a thermotropic calamitic nematic can influence its transient biaxial order and, hence, the electric BORN threshold.
ISSN:0003-6951
1077-3118
DOI:10.1063/1.2824830